The present invention relates to conveyors, and, in particular, to conveyors which utilize a roller chain for carrying the articles to be conveyed.
It is known to use roller chains for conveying articles along a conveyor. However, there have been several shortcomings with these conveyors.
First, debris can fall into the chain from above, causing the rollers to jam and stop rotating, which greatly increases the friction and eliminates the benefits of using a roller chain.
Second, when articles that are being conveyed are stopped, an additional friction load is placed on the conveyor drive.
Third, the construction of a conveyor frame is usually quite expensive. A big part of the expense is that special guides must be constructed and mounted to the conveyor frame for guiding the articles to be conveyed.
Fourth, there has been no convenient way for attaching air hoses, wires, and other tubular-shaped items to the conveyor frame.
Fifth, it is often difficult to match up a drive to the conveyor frame, and guides must stop at the drive, so there is a space in which the articles are not guided.
Sixth, even when the drive is connected to the frame, the chain must be sized long in order to provide a catenary (a long loop of chain which hangs down from the drive sprocket) to prevent the chain from wrapping itself around the drive sprocket.